Abstract
Research and development are critical for driving economic growth. To realise the UK government’s Industrial Strategy, we develop an energy research and innovation infrastructure roadmap and landscape for the energy sector looking to the long term (2030). This study is based on a picture of existing UK infrastructure on energy. It shows the links between the energy sector and other sectors, the distribution of energy research and innovation infrastructures, the age of these infrastructures, where most of the energy research and innovation infrastructures are hosted, and the distribution of energy research and innovation infrastructures according to their legal structure. Next, this study identifies the roadmap of energy research and innovation infrastructures by 2030, based on a categorisation of the energy sector into seven subsectors. Challenges and future require-ments are explored for each of the sub-sectors, encompassing fossil fuels and nuclear energy to renewable energy sources and hydrogen, and from pure science to applied engineering. The study discusses the potential facilities to address these challenges within each sub-sector. It explores the e-infrastructure and data needs for the energy sector and provides a discussion on other sectors of the economy that energy research and innovation infrastructures contribute to. Some of the key messages identified in this study are the need for further large-scale initiative and large demonstrators of multi-vector energy systems, the need for multi-disciplinary research and innovation, and the need for greater data sharing and cyber-physical demonstrators. Finally, this work will serve as an important study to provide guidance for future investment strategy for the energy sector.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 7197 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Sustainability (Switzerland) |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 12 Jun 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Figure 7 illustrates whether these RIIs are single entities, grouped/distributed entities, or virtual. This study reveals that about 77% of energy RIIs are single-site physical entities. Interestingly, these numbers are again higher than most of the other sectors. The survey shows that most of the energy RIIs are accommodated within other organisations which are dependent on long term funding, such as universities. Generally, the smaller and more highly focussed facilities are hosted in universities. These centres can offer underlying scientific capability. An example of one such energy RIIs is the FloWave Marine Test Facility in Edinburgh University. Other facilities, which would provide services to a particular large market or address a unique challenge, can act as a single energy RIIs, e.g., the National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL). Single-site RIIs deal with highly specific challenges or help to address a particular market which is big enough to permit research in only one energy area. However, in some cases, it is not economically efficient to have a dedicated energy RII. In these cases, large centres are created which are distributed across all sectors. Additionally, when demand and expertise are distributed, distributed infrastructure can help avoid the relocation and duplication of facilities. An example of distributed RIIs is the National Nuclear User Facility (NNUF), funded by EPSRC, with the aim to develop a multi-site facility and enable industry and academia to access internationally-leading experimental equipment.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Keywords
- alternative fuels
- carbon capture and storage
- energy
- energy storage
- fuel cells and hydrogen
- landscape
- nuclear energy
- renewable energy sources
- roadmap
- whole energy systems
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computer Science (miscellaneous)
- Geography, Planning and Development
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
- Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
- Energy Engineering and Power Technology
- Hardware and Architecture
- Computer Networks and Communications
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
